I'm leaving on a jet plane....

Well, this is probably the last post until I return from Denver. I'm almost ready to go. My plane leaves at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning and I am finishing the last of the packing up now. Well, all except for the last minute stuff. I am anxious to get there and feeling a little apprehensive about leaving everyone here.

My older sister and her husband were supposed to drive out with one of their married daughters and her 3 children, but the daughter has been hospitalized so they have had to cancel their trip out for the Wedding Reception. They may be able to go out later in the summer but they will miss the family get-together! :( I hope and pray that everything turns out okay for their daughter!

My sandals broke just the other day and I tried to have them repaired at a shoe shop but was told that they are very old and unrepairable. I don't have time to shop for a new pair here, so I guess I will have to look in Denver for a pair and figure out something else to wear on the plane!

I printed out a map of the Denver Airport Terminal and boy, am I glad my cousin will be with me. The place is huge with several different levels. I'll be lucky if I can find the right level for baggage pick-up and passenger pick up as well! I'm sure they have signs and probably people there to answer questions should one become lost.....I hope!

Well, I guess I'll be off then....until I get back home I hope everyone has an enjoyable week.

A Meme from a couple of friends

Blazing Firebird and It's Just Me have posted this Meme and I'm joining in.


1. Are your parents married, divorced, deceased or other? Deceased
2. Are you a vegetarian? No
3. Believe in Heaven? Yes
4. Have you come close to dying? Yes
5. What jewelry do you wear 24/7? None 24/7
6. Are you eating? Nope
7. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? On occasion
8. Wear makeup? Sometimes
9. How many people have you kissed in the last month? lots, mostly grandkids
10.Would you ever have plastic surgery? Nope
11.What do you wear to bed? T-shirt and panties
12.Have you ever done anything illegal? underage drinking and snuck into a city pool as a kid
13.Can you roll your tongue? Yes
14.Pluck your eyebrows? No, don't need to
15.What kind of watch(es)? Nothing special~Accura
16.Abortion? No, I'm against them
17.Hair color? In my younger years blondish brown~now silver
18.Future child's name? I'm 60 years old..better not be any children
19.Do you snore?Yep, woke myself up even
20.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Australia
21.What is on your feet right now? I'm barefoot
22.If you won the lottery what would you do first? Scream
23.Gold or Silver? Gold
24.Hamburger or hotdog? Hamburger
25.If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Salads
26.Beach, city or country? Country
27.What was the last thing you touched before the keyboard? Newspaper
28.Where do you eat? Table usually
29.When's the last time you cried? Yesterday
30.Have you read blogs? Hasn't everyone....of course I have
31.Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? Only on Halloween
32.Ever been involved with the police? When I was in an accident.
33.How many times have you been married? 3 times, once widowed, once divorced and presently happily married for 16 years.
34.Do you talk in your sleep? My hubby says I do but I've never heard me.
35.Beach or pool? doesn't matter
36.What's your favorite song at the moment?Don't have one right now
37.How do you take your steak? Medium well
38.Window or aisle seat? Window
39.Ever met a famous person? Not that I recall
40.Do you feel that you've ever had a truly successful relationship? Yes
41.Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Both
42.Ricki Lake or Oprah? Oprah if I must chose.
43.Basketball or Football? Football
44.How long do your showers last? About 8 minutes
45.Do you drive a stick? No, but I can.
46.Cake or Ice cream? Ice cream
47.Self-conscious? Not usually
48.What time do you get up? depends on when I went to sleep
49.Have you ever given money to a bum? Nope
50.When was your first crush? Grade school
51.Where do you wish you were? In a hot tub.
52.Have you ever broken someones heart? I don't think so
53.Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Yes
54.Have you ever ridden in/on a firetruck? No
55.Last gift you received? Hubby brought home a hanging basket of flowers that he knew I had been wanting.....awwww, sweet huh?
56.Name the last three things you purchased? Summer pj's, shirt and jeans
57.Things you spend a lot of money on? Nothing really
58.What state do you live in? MI
59.How do you eat an OREO? dunk it in milk and bite into it.
60.Last wedding attended? My hubby's cousin
61.Favorit fast food place to eat? Arby's or Wendy's
62.Do you like to shop? NO
63.Most hated food/drink? Mexican food and beer
64.Last play you saw? I can't even remember
65.Can you sing? Yes, but I'm the only one who enjoys it!
66.One thing you hate? Intentional Meanness
67.One wish? That my grandchildren all grow up healthy and happy!
68.Favorite drink? Ice tea
69.Current crush? Still madly in love with Hubby
70.What is my height? 5'3"
71.Shoe size? 6 1/2 or 7

Getting anxious!

I am getting so anxious. I am already having trouble sleeping at night and I'm not leaving for another week. Once I decided to go, I didn't realize that waiting would be so very hard. Maybe as I age I'm losing more of my patience!

I went shopping today to buy something to wear to the "Evening Garden Reception". I went thinking that I wouldn't be able to find anything that I liked. Naive went with me. Much to my surprise I was able to find a skirt that I liked and was lucky enough to match a tank and cardigan sweater set to go with it. And it didn't even cost that much. It's casual and yet dressy enough for the occasion. I'm pretty happy with it.

My granddaughter, Naive's daughter, received a special honor. She has been invited to attend The Congressional Youth Leadership Council in our state capital this coming January. The only way to get the invitation is to be nominated by one of your teachers and then you have to be accepted by the Congressional Board. I am so very proud of her. She is only going to be a freshman in high school this coming year and she has so much savvy already. More than I ever thought of having when I was her age. But then, having a mom like Naive, it is no wonder she is awesome. Okay, the proud grandma will now change subjects! Sorry, just had to brag a minute!!
Thanks for putting up with me!

SUCCESS!!! Update to Denver trip!

Man, I am sooo excited. I was able to find a flight to Denver. It wasn't as reasonable as I hoped the cost would have been and I have to leave earlier than I really wanted to and stay longer than I wanted or should. But, I'm not complaining...at least I have the ticket and I'm able to attend.

I will fly out of the airport in a nearby city and fly to Houston first and then on to Denver. Same thing on the way back in reverse order.

I am so lucky. Naive helped me find the ticket and booked it online for me and also helped out financially. It seems like she always comes through for me! She is an awesome woman and one of the best daughters anyone could ask for. She's the kind of daughter that all parents want to have. And I was lucky enough to get her! Thank you, God, for my lovely, caring daughter!

One Hundred Things About Me

So, I guess I should be celebrating. This is my 100th post. Everyone seems to do the "100 list" and I guess I will too for lack of any thing creative roaming around in my little brain.

1. I turned 60 years old last month.

2. I don't remember getting older.

3. I have 14 living grandchildren; 15 when I count Owen (a precious grandson who was stillborn)

4. My parents both were dead by the time they were 49 and they died 3 years apart.

5. I have an older sister and a younger sister.

6. My hair is silver.

7. I was widowed, divorced, and am now married for the 3rd time. Not many know about my 2nd marriage and I try to keep it that way.

8. I live in Michigan and I love the "Big Lake".

9. I love the upper peninsula too.

10. I have 5 children, 2 girls and 3 boys....3 of them are birth children and 2 are acquired through my third marriage.

11. I hate Lima Beans and Liver and onions.

12. I love hot fudge sundaes.

13. I love CHOCOLATE!

14. Cashews are my favorite kind of nut.

15. I have two very good friends that I met 37 years ago. I'm lucky to have them.

16. Sometimes I get melancholy for no reason.

17. I am afraid of spiders and hate them with a passion and yet am fascinated by them.

18. I love the outdoors and fresh air.

19. I prefer spring and summer.

20. I don't like winter as much as I used to.

21. Fall is beautiful because I like to see the trees change color.

22. I need to lose some weight! A lot of weight!!

23. I wish I were taller.

24. I would like to be independently wealthy.

25. I love my husband but don't often tell him how much I appreciate him.

26. I have a LOT of trouble sleeping.

27. I AM going to Denver. I fly into Houston first and then on to Denver. I leave on the 21st.

28. Sometimes I'm grumpy and even I don't know why.

29. I wish my grandchildren could stay young for a longer period of time.

30. I love watching birds.

31. My favorite birds are hummingbirds

32. My favorite flower is lily of the valley.

33. I miss my parents since their deaths.

34. I love salads.

35. I love a medium-well steak and a baked potato. Mm-mm!

36. I am very proud of the person my oldest has become.

37. I'm sorry I was sick when Clew visited Naive and I didn't get to see her.

38. I had a quadruple bypass heart surgery 4 years ago.

39. I got drunk "once", and decided the morning after really wasn't worth the night before.

40. This year marks the 42nd anniversary of my graduation from high school. (Yes, they had high schools back then!)

41. I don't keep in touch with anyone from my high school years.

42. My sisters have become my friends instead of just siblings.

43. Telling my children that their Daddy passed away was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

44. I wished I had had more children. (I know, I'm a crazy woman!)

45. My shoe size is 6 1/2.

46. I was a cheerleader in high school until a car accident forced me to quit.

47. I hate shopping for clothes.

48. I need some new clothes to go to Denver with.

49. My computer died a while back and Hubby bought me a new one. Bless his heart!

50. My oldest son is bilingual.

51. My oldest daughter can build a house! I find that amazing! She and her husband built their house and she designed it.

52. I hate taking medicine.

53. Some days I spend way to much time on the computer.

54. I love bubble baths.

55. I dropped out of college. I wanted to be a teacher.

56. I like most kinds of music.

57. I play the piano (not as well as I used to though).

58. I sing in the car.

59. I moved into my house almost a year ago. I love it.

60. I wish I knew more about computers.

61. This list is harder than I thought it would be.

62. I love to watch lightening.

63. My dog hates the thunder and hides when it storms.

64. I love animals, but dogs are my favorite.

65. I love watching my little grandchildrens faces as they discover something new.

66. I love to go for quiet rides with my husband.

67. Sometimes I wonder why I am here.

68. I have a "favorite" sister-in-law!

69. I wish I had more energy.

70. I always have way too much month left at the end of my money!

71. I love being a mom, grandma, sister, friend and wife.

72. Sometimes though I feel overwhelmed with all of it.

73. I sometimes feel lonely even when I'm not alone.

74. I like to feel "connected".

75. I always wanted to have a brother.

76. Now I have 5 brother-in-laws. Not the same though.

77. I wish my parents had lived to see my children and my childrens children.

78. Did I mention that I'm flying to Denver!!!

79. I love a clean house but hate housecleaning!!

80. I love to eat out.

81. I don't mind cooking.

82. I love making our annual Christmas Cookies with the grandkids.

83. I hate clutter.

84. I've decided I don't like lists!

85. I love waterfalls and have seen many. Most of them in Michigans Upper Peninsula.

86. I've seen Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.

87. I've been to 23 of the states in the U.S.A.

88. The only country I've ever been to is Canada.

89. I love John Denver songs.

90. I love Gordon Lightfoot songs too.

91. I love to watch white tail deer in the woods when they haven't seen me.

92. I hate blogger. I finished this post and was doing a spell check on it and it disappeared and I lost the last 4. AARRRGH!!!!

93. I love to watch my oldest grandson play footbball and my oldest granddaughter cheerlead at games.

94. I guess I just love watching any and all of my grandkids do anything.

95. I love sitting around a bonfire in the fall, drinking hot cocoa and watching the fire and chatting.

96. I hope it takes me a long, long time to get to the 200th post because this list has been hard and blogger has been "hormonal"!

97. I wonder if blogger hates me?

98. I love to read.......almost anything.

99. I love to have a grandchild fall asleep in my arms.

100. And, I love accomplishing what I set out to do. Like this list!! ;)

A little of this, a little of that!!

I tried to post earlier today and something was wrong with blogger "again" and it's gone. And being pressed for time lately it is a big inconvenience to have to redo! Arrrgh!!


I'm having great difficulty trying to book a flight to Denver for the dates I need to be there. Well, that isn't entirely true. If I don't mind spending over $500.00 for one round trip ticket I wouldn't have any problem at all. But, being of "Dutch heritage" coupled with my bank account the answer isn't hard for me to figure out. Find cheaper tickets or stay home! I was able to find one airline that will sell me a ticket for under $300.00, but I have to change planes 3 times and stay overnight in an airport in a strange city, alone. I'm finding I'm not quite as adventurous as I used to be because that has absolutely no appeal.....not even for a chance to see my family!


On to the baby robins. They have all flown away. I was on my way out the other day to take a new picture to show you all how big they had gotten and the last one was sitting on the edge of the next and when I approached, that one flew off too! : ( At least I know they all made it and my wonderful pet and companion didn't eat any of them!


The newest grandbaby is doing well. Already I can see that he has gained some weight. Big brother hasn't asked to send him back yet either, which is a real plus!

Today is my oldest sisters wedding anniversary. Forty-two years for them. That's a great accomplishment in today's times. Also the 42nd anniversary of my graduation from high school. Man, I don't remember getting THAT old!!

Tomorrow, my little 4 year old granddaughter in Kentucky is having her tonsils out. I hope she does well. I will call her momma tonight and request that she call me tomorrow after the surgery to let me know how she did.

My next post will be my One Hundredth. I will have to finish that list soon!!

Welcome number 14!!

Our 14th grandchild was born May 29th, 2006, at 11:03 PM, weighing in at 7 lbs, 8 oz. and 19 inches long. They named him "Ty Christopher". He was eagerly awaited by his big brother, Trenten(but I'm sure the eagerness will wear off as soon as he starts getting big enough to get into Trenten's things or takes up too much of Mom and Dad's time)!

I didn't post right away because I forgot to take my camera to the hospital and those who remembered said they would e-mail the pictures to me. Guess what? I'm still waiting....I think I'm going to go directly to their house now that they are home and snap a couple to show with this post.

I did go over and took this photo of Ty and Momma. The second picture is of Amber, big brother Trenten and Ty! My, they are a good looking bunch!

To go or not to go?

I am facing a decision. My nephew who lives in Denver got married last month in Belize. They are having an evening garden party reception in Denver on the 24th of June. I have some birthday money that I could put toward a round-trip ticket to Denver for the reception. I would love to go! The only drawback.....I will have to go alone, without my hubby! He has to work. I hate traveling, especially by plane, alone!

My sister who lives there with her family (nephew's Mom ~ note pic of nephew and his new wife on left side) will be more than happy to pick me up at the airport and I can stay in her home with her. My older sister will be there too. We don't often get a chance to be all together at one time. We did have a wonderful get-together at my home last summer when my sister from Denver came for a visit. Even the nearby nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews were able to come. It was like a family reunion and we had a good time and good food and were able to enjoy each others company for a short period of time. If I go, we would be able to be together for a longer period of time than just one day. I would be able to spend some time with her for five whole days and it would seem like old times. She is my younger sister, by 3 years. After our parents died, I quit college and went to work full time because she was still in high school and I needed a job to support the two of us. We are very close! My older sister was married at the time with a brand new baby and lived in another city.

I hate being gone from my immediate family for that long. The only time I have been away for that long was when I was hospitalized and that doesn't really count. I know that they are all grown up with families of their own and don't really need me here, I still have misgivings about going away for that long of a stretch. I guess I'm just a homebody!! ;)

I will have to decide soon though. If I'm going to go, I need to book a flight. What do you all think?

Baby bird update!

Okay, here is a better picture of the baby robins. It looks as if all 4 eggs hatched and there are four little birds with wide open mouths.... constantly.

When the mom and dad fly away to find worms to feed these little ones, I quickly run out to where the nest is to get a new photo, the little birds open their mouths like I am there with some food to feed them. I am always in a hurry too. It's kind of scary to be dive bombed by a couple of robins; they are really much bigger up close flying at you than they appear from a distance!

As Naive pointed out to me, I will be terribly busy trying to keep my dog, Prancer, from chasing the babies once the Momma is trying to teach them to fly. My dog is not mean, but she likes to play and she is convinced that anything and everything outside on the ground was put there just to play with and amuse her. She's very quick, but all the adult birds are fast too and she hasn't caught one yet. Luckily for me, she is quite well trained and will stop almost immediately if told to do so, and she knows the sit and stay command too. Maybe, hopefully, it won't be as hard as I am anticipating!

Baby Robins

I know this is a little blurry but these are the babies as of Sunday, May 21st. I had to hurry and take them between both Momma and Poppa flying back and forth to feed them....and also to dive bomb me! I can only see two in this picture, but will try to get a better picture very soon.

I am so glad that at least some of the eggs hatched. It is nice to see new life beginning after a long winter.

Brought to you by the letter "D"

I asked Naive if I could play and she assigned me the letter "D". I'm supposed to think of 10 words that start with the letter "D" and why they are important to me.....Piece of cake!



DREW ~ my 2nd to the youngest grandson at the moment. He is so very special to all of us. His Momma and Daddy went through so very much just to conceive and deliver him.....He is truly our miracle grandchild!


DAUGHTERS ~ I am lucky enough to have one birth daughter (Drew's Momma) one acquired daughter who lives in Kentucky, two daughter-in-laws who have brought great things to our family, and an adopted daughter, Clew, who lives in Ohio! She isn't formally adopted but we are close in heart!


DOUG ~ My middle son who just had the surgery and is coming along nicely in his recovery!


DOGS ~ My many fine 4-legged children that I have had over the years. The current one, Prancer is a sweet girl and is always happy to see me when I return. Even if I only went out to the mailbox!!


DARKNESS ~ For without the darkness, we wouldn't appreciate the light, nor would we be able to get the sleep and rest we need for the daylight hours.


DRAWING ~ Because without all the drawings from my grandchildren my house wouldn't contain as much artwork that it does. They are more valuable to me than any Picasso.


DIRT ~ Good black dirt - for growing our beautiful flowers and vegetables. I love to watch the flowers grow in my yard!


DAD'S ~ I often stand in wonder at the Dad's in my grandchildren's lives and think how lucky they are to have each other. The things the dad's can teach the little ones and the things the little ones can teach the dad's.


DRIVE ~ A nice relaxing Saturday or Sunday drive along a peaceful road with no where in particular to go or have to be.


DESSERTS ~ I probably should say "low-fat"desserts, but I'm going to include all desserts. They are yummy and should be eaten by everyone on occasion!


There it is......My list. Now I think I might just go and find me some dessert!!

Son's surgery!

Just a quick post to let you all know that my son's surgery went well. He has at least two metal plates, several pins and screws in his ankle and leg, but at least he didn't lose it. The doctor said he will have arthritis in that ankle but that is a small price to pay for not losing it and besides, we all suffer from that as we get older.

Thank all of you for the continued support and prayers. Prayers are surely what helped to sustain us in a trying time.

You guys are the "BEST"!

Mother's Day Events

Hope all the MOMS out there had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Mine started out very early. And not so pleasant as the usual granddaughter, who spent the night, developed a case of the "throw-ups" at 5:00 AM and didn't quite make it to the bathroom in time. But it did improve, thank goodness.

The above photo is of Drew sitting on the riding lawn mower in our driveway. I think he wanted to drive it without any help from me! They didn't stay too long. It was way past the time for munchkin to have his nap and no one wanted to push their luck and have him react with an attitude!

Later in the day we went to one of our sons homes for a cook-out and had a lovely time visiting with them and our 5 year old grandson and my daughter-in-laws parents and siblings. The food was delicious......probably more so since I didn't have to make any of it.

While we were visiting with family, we found a bird nest near our swing set and the robin is waiting to become a mother too. When she flew away to get some food, I took a picture of the nest. There are 4 eggs in there, but you can only see 3 of them good. The 4th one is hiding near the front left side of the nest. I can hardly wait .

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of all the Mother's in the world:


My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside; I just finished cleaning."

My mother taught me religion.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet!"

My mother taught me about time travel.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next
week."

My mother taught me logic.
"Because I said so, that's why".

My mother taught me more logic.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the
store with me."

My mother taught me foresight.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me irony.
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about osmosis.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

My mother taught me contortionism.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

My mother taught me stamina.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mother taught me about hypocrisy.
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times....don't exaggerate!"

My mother taught me the circle of life.
"I brought you into this world and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about behavior modification.
"Stop acting like your father."

My mother taught me about envy.
"There are millions of less fortunate kids in this world who don't have
wonderful parents like you do."

My mother taught me about anticipation.
"Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me humor.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me wisdom.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my very favorite:

My mother taught me about justice.
"One day you'll have kids and I hope they turn out just like you."

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

We're good to go!

Took my son to the doctor today and yipeee! The swelling is down enough to do the surgery. It doesn't look like he will lose his foot after all. The doctor said he will need to make three incisions - one on each side of his ankle and one behind on his calf. It is scheduled for Friday at 10:45 AM. And BONUS ~ the doctor is going to try and do it as an outpatient type surgery! That will save the kid some money since he doesn't have any insurance.

The doctor is an ex-dirt bike rider himself and told my son that he will try and fix his ankle so he can still ride dirt bikes! I told the doctor that he's as stupid as the son is! He laughed!

Thanks again for all the support and prayers, you guys are the best!!

Things are looking up!

Decided I had better find the time to enter a new post to let you all know how things are with the son. First of all, thank you all for your support and prayers on our behalf. I am convinced that is the only thing that truly helps! God Bless you all.

He went to the doctor yesterday and it is still too swollen to operate and he has huge and ugly "fracture blisters" all over his ankle and foot so the doctor put him on an anti-biotic to keep the blisters from becoming infected.

Now for the good news! He still has a strong pulse in his foot which means that the artery hasn't compressed yet. He's still not out of the woods, but the doctor was happy so we are too! He goes back to see the doctor on Tuesday and we're hoping to have a somewhat better idea of when he can do the surgery.

My "60th" birthday is tomorrow and the sons "33rd" birthday is Monday. I consider this news one of the best birthday presents either of us could receive!

When it rains it pours....

the son who was in jail and released has now been in an accident. He crashed while riding on his dirt bike Saturday. I spent all Saturday night and all of the day on Sunday at the hospital with him.

His left ankle is shattered in 3 places and they need to do some surgery to put in plates and pins. However, they can't do the surgery until the swelling goes down. They sent us home. He has a splint on his left leg from his thigh to his toes. It is so swollen that the doctors are afraid it will compress the artery and cut off the blood supply and they will have to amputate his foot. They were very honest with us about that....he has a 50% chance of losing his foot! Not very nice odds to have to face at the age of 32. If the swelling goes down enough they hope to operate next Monday....that's his 33rd birthday! Nice present, huh? This news was quite a shock to him....it is the first time in a long, long time that he asked me to hug him and hold him. I did, and we both cried; he about the odds and me about seeing one of my children have to go through this and not being able to do anything to help him. I am praying that things turn out good for him!

For those of you out there who read this blog and believe in God, I would appreciate any and all prayers on his behalf.

Quick Update!

Just received a call from son in jail and he had his arraingment and bond was reduced from $2889. to $750., so his boss is going to get him out. Hopefully he has learned this time that paying child support is mandatory!! Maybe he'll start to grow up someday real soon!!

I hope and pray!!

Trying to accept what I cannot change....

and not doing it very well, I might add.

One of my sons is in jail for back child support. It's his own fault! Still, as a mother it is hard! No mother ever says when she's watching her child grow up "Gee, I hope he goes to jail some day", the way she might say "I hope he's a doctor or a police officer or whatever"!

He's also back with the mother of his two youngest children. I can't change that either! I really don't like this woman and the feeling is mutual on her part! I have trouble just tolerating her so I don't invite them to my house and I don't visit them at theirs. It's a sad state of affairs and I wish it were different. But it isn't nor can I foresee it being any different in the near or distant future.

So, as Mother's Day approaches, even though I don't have any thing to feel guilty for, that mother guilt hangs on and torments me with "could I have done something different with this child" or "what did I do wrong with this one". I don't love him less because of all the trials he has given me....I love him the same as when he was a baby just like all the others.

Tough love aint' easy!!

Traveling back in time ~ October, 1968

This was a time when I was pregnant with my first child and well into my last month.

Hubby and I drove a black 1964 Corvette at the time. We had been looking at "family cars" but hadn't made the decision to trade the 'vette in yet. We couldn't agree on what to get. My girlfriends at the time thought it was really "cool" to drive a 'vette around. And I guess it would have been if I hadn't been pregnant and barely fit between the seat and steering wheel.

On this particular evening, I decided that I needed to go to the local Seven/Eleven. Gosh, I don't even remember for what anymore, but went I did.

I was near the refrigerator/cooler where they keep the milk and soft drinks and water when it happened. I hadn't been in the store very long, but the need to "pee" was overtaking my ability to walk. Anyone who has ever been pregnant knows the feeling! When the baby is so large and pushing on your bladder, you need to find a bathroom.....FAST! Back then the rest rooms in the Seven/Eleven were for "employees only". You guessed it. I wet my pants right there on the floor in front of the refrigerator. The store was almost empty thank goodness. The only other customer was at the counter checking out at the time. I had to do something and quick. But what could I do? I didn't want to go to the cashier and tell him that I wet all over the floor.

So I did the only thing that a respectable, pregnant lady could do! I reached into the refrigerator, pulled out a water, opened it and poured half of it on the floor. I then proceeded to the counter and told the cashier that the bottle must have had a leak in it while I was standing there deciding what I needed. And then......I left. I just walked out that door! I got in the car and headed for home.

But that's not the end of the story. The store was about 2 miles from where I lived and while driving home I saw police lights flashing behind me. Well, I had been taught in drivers training that you have to pull to the side and let the emergency vehicles past, so of course that's what I did. And the cop pulled over behind me and promptly got out of his cruiser and came to talk to me. My mind is racing and I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong. They can't arrest you for having a peeing accident on the floor of a Seven/Eleven, can they?

The officer asks to see my registration and proof of insurance for the vehicle. I reach for the glove box and freeze. My husband has a concealed weapons permit, I do not! There is a .22 pistol in the locked glove box. All I can think of is that the officer will arrest me for carrying a concealed weapon without the proper permit and my baby will be born in jail. I look at the officer and my eyes well up with tears and I tell him that I only have the key to start the car. The key to the glove box is home with my husband and if he would like to follow me there, I will be more than happy to produce the requested registration and proof of insurance.

He tells me he will follow me home and the reason he pulled me over in the first place was because they had a report of a stolen Corvette that matched the description of the one I was driving. Great! A stolen vehicle matching the description of the one I am driving and I can't produce the registration and proof of insurance. Looking a little fishy, right? I'm thinking that he took pity on me in my advanced state of pregnancy and figured no pregnant lady in her right mind would try and steal a car, let alone a Corvette, and get away with it.

Anyway, he followed me home and Hubby came out and when I explained to him what was going on, he produced his own glove box key and opened the glove box retrieving the registration and proof of insurance without once disturbing the .22 pistol. The officer was never aware that the glove box even contained a gun.

To this day, I am convinced that I could not have gotten the registration and proof of insurance out with so much finesse and my first child would most certainly have been born in the local lock-up!